Bird flu has been on the rise in Washington state and one sanctuary was hit hard: 20 big cats – more than half of the facility’s population – died over the course of weeks.

Northwest Naturals issued a recall of its Feline Turkey Recipe Raw Frozen Pet Food after it tested positive for bird flu.

The recall, according to a news release published Wednesday, involves Northwest Naturals' Feline Turkey Recipe raw frozen pet food with sell-by dates between May 21, 2026, and Jun. 23, 2026. Tests confirmed the batch was contaminated with highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, according to a company statement.

A Portland-based pet food company issued a nationwide voluntary recall after a house cat in Oregon died from eating one of its products, which tested positive for bird flu.

But while the current risk from our fuzzy feline friends is considered very low, public health officials nonetheless have been warning this month that free-roaming cats could be yet another fellow mammal that will enable bird flu to hop to humans, maybe as much or more so than dairy cows or pigs.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) alerted cat owners to throw out a brand of frozen food after it tested positive for bird flu. One house cat has already died due to the contamination.